since they began keeping records. >> it is good and hot out here. >> reporter: milwaukee set an all-time record high as did madison, wisconsin, south bend, indiana, and paducah, kentucky. and st. paul's half marathon was cut to five miles. philadelphia's july fourth parade, they sweltered as they passed independence hall. similar scenes in downtown st. louis which hit triple digits. the oppressive temperatures with highs near 100s from the plains to the atlantic are a result of hot air stalled over the nation's midsection. >> typically, we don't see it this hot. st. louis, seeing 100 degrees seven days in a row. that is something we don't normally see. >> reporter: if that weren't enough, nearly 1 million people in ten states in the district of

columbia spent the fourth just like the founding fathers, no electricity, no air-conditioning. last week's ferocious storms are blamed for at least 26 deaths. in washington, no holdy. work crews are moving downed trees so utility workers can begin restoring power zichlt can't wait to go home. >> reporter: this family grory store has been without power since friday night. >> we have lost everything. we have lost everything that required refridge railings. >> that was nbc's john yang reporting. elsewhere, fire crews are battling to try and contain the wildfires burning in nine western states. montana's largest fire has burned at least 16 homes and charred 386 miles. the ash creek fire is 55% contained and in colorado, fire officials are predicting full containment by sunday, scorching

28 square miles and destroying almost 350 homes. to the campaign trail where president obama begins a bus tour through ohio and pennsylvania. mitt romney spoke out in new hampshire about the health care update. tracie potts has more from washington. good morning. >> good morning. let's start with the bus tour. the president today will start in toledo, ohio. he will be targeting working class men. the polls are showing us while he is doing well with women and some other groups, this is a group that seems to be wavering between president obama and mitt romney. a recent average, shows the president with less than a three-point lead within the margin of error. on the fourth o of july, he addressed military members saying we need more immigration laws that allow immigrants to stay, like the dream act. mitt romney was up in new hampshire.

while he tried to shy away from politics officially, he has been wrapped up in this debate over whether or not he contradicted himself in his campaign over the health care mandate. is it a penalty? is it a tax? romney says the supreme court called it a tax, so it is a tax. his campaign said otherwise. will likely turn the focus back to the economy as new job numbers come out for june. lynn? scientists at the large hadron collider have announced they have likely discovered the so-called god particle. it may explain how stars, planets, even life, how these things were created and held together. science editor, lawrence mcginn tri from itn explains. >> reporter: this is about as excited as scientists get. what god them on the feet was the revelation that the la bore torey had discovered a new particle. peter hicks who predicted it

would exist 50 years ago was moved to tears. >> for me, it is really an incredible thing that it happened in my lifetime. [ applause ] >> reporter: back in 1964, peter higgs was one of six scientists said that the particle now named after him shouldheoretical ly exist. >> it is very satisfying to be proved right in some way. >> reporter: to find the higgs bowes on the accelerated particle in this tunnel of the large hadron collider. they crashed them together producing a large shower of debris that they now know contains the footprint of the higgs particle. as they find out more about how the particle behaves, they are sure it will open doors to new

science. >> whathis observations does is opens up a new vista of physics, it sort of closes a chapter of the 20th century science and brings us into the 21st century. scientists know that 95% of the universe is made of what they call dark matter that they can't see. the higgs bozon could be the link between ordinary stuff and the dark matter. in the next two years, scientists will be ramping it up to higher images precisely to try to answer that. >> that was itn's lawrence mcginty reporting in alabama, it was a different kind of fourth of july blast. crews there blew up the 13-story building complex at the university of alabama. the rose tows as they were known housed more than 30,000 students and faculty over five decades. some of the alumni came back to

watch a piece of their past come tumbling town. it will take three weeks to clean that up. in illino, there was a train derailment and bridge collapse. it is not clear which happened first. several of the 138 train cars being hauled across the state were mangled in the wreckage. the train was carrying coal from wyoming to wisconsin. there was another derailment at the very same spot three years ago. finally, in missouri, how about this? patriotism can never start soon. newborn babies were wrapped in red, white, and blue bunting at a maternity ward outside st. louis. hospital volunteers put the finishing touches on the blankets right down to the stars. now, for a look at your national weather, we turn to msnbc meteorologist, bill karins. he has your weather forecast. >> sleeping like a baby. >> don't we all wish we were. wouldn't that be so nice?

good morning, everyone. hope you had a wonderful fourth of july. worst weather in the country big heads up if you live in ann arbor or detroit. very strong thunderstorms coming through, 60-mile-an-hour winds. we could see a lot of power outages. we already have as it went through lansing and flint earlier. they are going to continue through detroit and down into ohio as we go throughout the morning. a very strong line of storms. once again, it is just now arriving in downtown detroit. very dangerous winds. they are moving very quickly. this complex of storms should pass down to the south right through ohio during the morning today. if you are anywhere from toledo over to cleveland, down to columbus and cincinnati, we will have to watch you closely. later today, additional strong storms through south dakota, minneapolis, madison, milwaukee, maybe even chicago. that's the severe weather side

of this. we have been watching this incredible heat wave. 100-degree temperatures yesterday. st. louis, 105. the hottest spot in the middle of the country as we have gone throughout the two-week heat wave. 102, chicago. 100s in the ohio valley. what are we doing this morning? nothing has changed. the cold front is not going to arrive until saturday or sunday. each and every day is going to be just as high. we are going to see temperatures this morning in the 80s. widespread. it feels like mid-80s. new york city, 84. d.c., 82. richmond, 84. you are not getting a lot of relief in the cities overnight. we have heat warnings in effect from minneapolis to des moines. louisville, indianapolis, philadelphia too. this heat wave, it will end. we have got about four more days of it. here is how it looks today. 106, st. louis, chicago. 103, chicago possible. 100s returning to raleigh,

richmond, washington, d.c. tomorrow, the relief begins to show up around minneapolis and green bay. lynn, it could be 105. that's now the predicted high in chicago tomorrow. 105. that's a phoenixlike temperature. >> i will call you from there. >> i wasn't rubbing it in but i was. interest rates hang in the balance. another blow for barclay's. a new skyscraper towers over london. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. nash finds a home in hollywood. a wild day in nhl free agency. you think you ate a lot of hotdogs yesterday. think again. you are watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] we believe small things can make a big difference. like how a little oil from here can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. purina one discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food, we can help brighten an old dog's mind so he's up to his old tricks.

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top stories. a house report obtained by the "associated press" finds that countrywide financial, which was at the center of the foreclosure

crisis, got around the law and influenced members of congress. six current and former members of the house and senate that received discoted loans include both democrats and republicans in mexico, election officials say they are recounting votes from more than half the ballot boxes used in the presidential elections. inconsistencies were found in the vote tallies. palestinian officials have agreed to exhume the body of yasser arafat. the rockets red glare filled the sky above the hudson's red river during the macy's fireworks display. it was beautiful. mobs of new yorkers and tourists watched the colorful spectacle of 40,000 fireworks celebrating america's independence day. here is your "first look" as this morning's dish of scrambled

politics. the "los angeles times" reports some lawmakers are calling on the house to pass a bill that would require the government to purchase american flags made only in the usa. most us flags these days are made in china. in los angeles, the spokesman for iowa's republican governor, terry branstad, says he is doing fine after a brief hospital visit after he choked on a carrot during a ceremony for the rededication of the "uss iowa" ship. mitt romney marched in a parade and senator kelly ayotte marched with him, a contender for the vice presidential nomination on the ticket. >> another potential v.p. candidate, new jersey governor, chris christie, had it both ways when he talked to fox news about the health care individual mandate. he said it is both a penalty and a tax. republican congressional

candidate chris collins of new york state said, quote, people now don't die from prostate cancer, breast cancer and some of the other things but the american cancer society estimates more than half a million americans will die from cancer this year. in a statement, mitch's governor, rick snyder said he was vottoing a voter identification law. he said it would create voter confusion. on cnn, the brother of alec baldwin, says the actor could be serious about running for mayor of new york city. billy baldwin says alec might run although he admits he might not have the patience it would require. that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. your first look at how wall street will kick off the day after being closed for the fourth of july. dow opens at 12,943 after adding 72 points. the s&p was up 8. the nasdaq, gained 24.

in tokyo, the nikkei lost 24 points. in hong kong, the hang seng nudged up 99. the biggest news will be friday's jobs report. news out of europe could trigger some market movement it today. the european central bank is expected to cut the region's interest rates to a record low. the move is seen as essential in easing the euro zone's debt crisis. >> moody's downgraded barclay's credit rating to negative. the bank's former ceo was grilled by england's parliament where he apologized for reprehensible behavior by his traders for an interest rate fixing scandal which is expected to spread volkswagen has ended a seven-year takeover saga by paying more than $5.5 million for the majority steak in porche

it didn't already own. apple's part supplier is gearing up for mass production of a smaller, less expensive ipad which will be under 8 inches. the current one measures 9.7 inches renting an apartment in the u.s. got more expensive last quarter. a new report shows rental prices jumped. renting a flat in london's newest skyscraper isn't going to be cheap. towering 95 stories high. the shard, which will be official officially unveiled, is the tallest building in europe. steve nash signed with the los angeles lakers yesterday. here is mario solis. good morning. the lakers certainly know how to bring in the fouh of july with a bang. they acquired steve nash as part of a sign and trade with the suns.

they sent four draftic ps to phoenix for the two-time mvp. he will receive a three-year deal worth more than $25 million. independents say he was kind to a pair of american hockey players. the top two free agents are heading to minnesota, zach parise and ryan suter. it is a homecoming for both players. parise is from minneapolis and suter, wisconsin. robinson cano has been hotter than an m-80. singles in the eighth. kevin youkilis is fitting in nicely with the sox. singles home the game-winner against the rangers. sox won 5-4 in ten. time to change our socks. red sox ace david or teeds geti wup around the pole.

cliff lee is off the snide. he finally picks up his first win of the year. phils beat the mets, 9-2. this guy could eat you out of house and home. joey chestnut is the weiner. he died his own record with 68 dogs and buns. the other contestants couldn't cut the mustard. chestnut is the top dog. he will relish for the rest of his life. he wins 10 ground, the mustard yellow belt and a stomachache. that's your first look at sports. i'm mario solis baby news from two celebrity couples and new details on how katy holmes orchestrated her split from tom cruise. your first look on entertainment is ahead. you are watching "first look" on msnbc.

welcome back. i'm lynn berry. we are going to begin with the long divorce saga. an attorney for katy holmes is denying report that the actress wants an emergency hearing on custody and child support. it comes in saying she filed an application that could have resulted in a public hearing published reports sd katy holmes planned an intricate

escape from the marriage, including securing a new york city apartment and cutting off with friends matthews mccon ahey tweeted that he and his wife are expecting a third child. a represent confirms that claire danes and hugh dancecy, who wed in 2009, are expecting their first child. finally, that was fast. days after pulling the plug on his personal twitter page, alec baldwin set out a tweet plugging an upcoming podcast. on his personal page, he sort of threw in the towel saying, i'm done. he has done this before apparently. i am talking to you although they have the camera on me. good morning. a lot of people do that. they drop their facebook or twitter account and pick it up a week later. >> i have been tempted. >> we all have.

detroit, very nasty line of storms rolled through. it is over with for the most part in detroit. south of town towards trenton, down 75, where the strongest storm is. there is probably a couple, 10,000 people at least without power from the line of storms that has moved through the state of michigan. a break from the heat today. albany to boston to hartford. from new york city, southward, the heat wave continues. washington, d.c., just like yesterday, right near 100 degrees. pittsburgh, pretty humid at 95. the worst of the heat centered over the top of missouri, illinois, indiana. we are talking about 100 to 105. even chicago could be near 103 degrees. pretty rare for chicago to get all that hot. it is not like it has been cool in dallas or san antonio through the southeast. you are a little more accustomed to temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. relief in sight. the cooler air is beginning to arrive in canada, southern portions of canada, through the northern u.s. we will experience

this cold, cooler air. minneapolis, 100 today to tomorrow right around 90 degrees. that's a little bit of relief for you. as far as st. louis to chicago, it doesn't look like we are going to see that happening. it looks like you are going to stay very hot. anyone on the west coast, a little bit of a warmup for you. a good change. 81 tomorrow in seattle. as far as when does the big relief come? it looks like by monday, we will be done talking about it and experiencing it. st. louis, ten days in a row above 100. sunday into monday, things will cool off. lynn, i know you are heading to chicago to taste a little bit of 105. >> i love it. >> but by the time the weekend ends, even chicago will get much cooler. >> i will report back on monday. >> i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. ee care of legal matters. wouldn't it be nice if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer? well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms,

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millions of americans wait for relief from a heat wave. >> a decades old dorm goes up in smoke. a spectacular display. the largest fireworks show in the landmarks america's 236th

birthday. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >> in many parts of the nation, it was record heat. in the mid-atlantic. crews worked through the holiday to get the power back on after last week's deadly storms. >> nbc's john yang reports from chicago. >> reporter: across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat. >> it is definitely really hot. >> reporter: chicago had only its second triple